“A story of choices and events so intimate I felt I was part of it. The novel is wrenching, the emotions radiant, and it will leave readers transformed”—Luanne Rice, author of The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners

“Joyce Maynard has outdone herself in this beautifully written story you’ll find hard to put down and impossible to forget.”— Elizabeth Berg, author of The Last Time I Saw You

Bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Labor Day, Joyce Maynard now brings us The Good Daughters, a spellbinding novel about friendship, family secrets, and the strange, unexpected twists of fate that shape our lives. The story of two women born the same day in the same hospital, but raised in vastly different emotional environments, The Good Daughters is another high note in Maynard’s already distinguished writing career.

Listener Opinions

Crubano410comcast.comnone | 2/17/2014

" Loved this book!! Think it was the best book I read this year. "

Erin | 2/16/2014

" Joyce Maynard is another of my favorite authors...each of her books is profoundly different. In this novel, two girls born on the same day in the same small town are forever linked in ways more than they know. One girl's mom, who knows the truth, makes it her business to keep in touch with the other throughout her lifetime. The girls were switched at birth, but at the end, an even deeper secret is revealed. Beautiful, fascinating story. "

RNOCEAN | 2/13/2014

" "Two families, the Planks and the Dickersons, are mysteriously entwined in this exquisite novel that centers on decades of life at a New Hampshire farm. Youngest daughters Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson, born on the same day in the same hospital, take turns narrating the struggles they face as children. Ruth feels a coldness from her mother; Dana is unsettled by her kooky parents constantly uprooting her and her brother Ray. Regardless, the Planks pay a yearly visit to the Dickersons no matter where they've ended up living. As the girls come of age, Ruth takes an interest in art, sex, and Dana's brother, Ray, with whom she later reunites, at Woodstock, in a swirl of drugs and mud. Meanwhile, Dana realizes that her desires are directed toward women and sets off to pursue agricultural studies at a university, where she meets Clarice, an assistant professor. As time goes by, the floundering Plank Farm is in danger of being seized by Ruth's former boyfriend, a man who has had his eye on the land for years. As Ruth and Dana pursue love, contemplate children, and search for home, the truth of what unites their families is finally--at long last--revealed, in this beautifully written book."
*****Rate this book 5/5. I LOVED THIS BOOK! The descriptive language of love and loss in this book was a pleasure to read. I have not read this author before, but I will seek out her other books. This book tells the story of two incredible women, how they adapt to life, their loves and their losses and how things come together in the end. Very beautiful book! "

Melana | 2/10/2014

" I liked the characters. You definitely knew the "shock" early on in the book but the characters were good enough that you wanted to keep reading to see what happened to them. "

Janet | 1/19/2014

" There was so much I liked about this book, characters, setting, and the way the story was told (alternate narrators). Most people would figure out the ending--that's OK, stil a pretty good read. "

K | 1/16/2014

" This was a good book revolving around the plot of the daughters being switched at birth. What I didn't like is that you found that out almost immediately into the book that they had been swithched. That spoiled it for me as I read throughout the book. There were no surprises. No clues to have you figure out elsewhere. There was a plus however in descriptions about the characters and describing them in detail. The author did very well in that and you got a feel for all the characters that were in the book. "

Andy Katin | 1/15/2014

" Saga of two women coming of age in the 60's that became contrived and shallow. Maynard writes in a fluid style and I like her lens on adolescents but she brings no wisdom to bear on adult life. At best, this is a good airplane read. "

Shana | 12/29/2013

" "Whatever else separated us, we were bonded in one powerful way, like a couple of shipwrecked sailors stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean, the sole survivors of our parents' upbringing (69)." "

Suzy Romaine | 12/24/2013

" Overall i liked this book even though the premise had a few holes in it and was predictable. I found the stories in it worth the read "

" It kept my interest and was a quick read. I would definately recommend it. "

Caryl Malka | 11/3/2013

" Beautifully written. Wonderful story about love and what we think is family. "

Delia | 9/25/2013

" This book was too predictable for me to enjoy... "

Bev | 6/12/2013

" This was a good book, but I found it a little disturbing - how dysfunctional families can be! "

Emmy Chang | 5/5/2013

" I'm such a huge fan of Joyce Maynard after reading Labor Day that immediately purchased her newest book. She continues to impress me and after plowing through The Good Daughters, I picked up her memoir At Home in the World (about her affair with JD Salinger) - such a page turner! "

Pat | 3/27/2013

" One of the most absorbing books I've read in a long time. "

Bettefloge | 8/19/2012

" The book is very readible, however, when finished I was not sure I liked it. Very unusual story. "

Allison | 6/1/2012

" hmmm.....well that was different! I figured out the big mystery about half way thru....and when I did I threw up in my mouth a bit. I didn't connect with any of the characters in this book which made it a bit of a slog to get thru. "

Jean Brown | 3/31/2012

" One aspect of the story I had a little quibble with but didn't keep me from loving the book.. "

Pamela | 3/1/2012

" Beautiful writing... "

Mary-Frances | 2/1/2012

" Great book! Read it in a day - couldn't put it down. I love the characters, although at times the "surprise" at the end seemed somewhat obvious. However, that didn't keep me from liking all the characters. "

" Although somewhat predictable at the end, an interesting look at how we are shaped by our experiences AND by our genetics. "

Maureen | 6/23/2011

" I wanted this to be better than it was. "

Delia | 5/28/2011

" This book was too predictable for me to enjoy...
"

Patricia | 5/22/2011

" A really good book. Well written and well researched.
"

Debbie | 5/20/2011

" Interesting and thoughtful story of 2 girls born on the same day in the same hospital. We see their lives unfolding over a period of time, and the end was a surprise (and entirely plausible!)
"

Katie | 5/20/2011

" This book made me think, especially going to just have a baby. I am completely sure this would never happen to me, but wow, what if it did. Lots of things to think about in this book.
"

Tara | 5/19/2011

" Love, Love, Love this book! just finished...great story about family relationships, secrets, and unexplained bonds...kept me wondering what the hell was going on, but doesn't leave you hanging at the end.
"

Christy | 5/18/2011

" Engaging but somewhat predictable. A unique perspective on two birthday " sisters" raised in very different lives.
"

Tina | 5/18/2011

" Quick read. Good for the beach. Predictable story and ending.
"

Georgina | 5/15/2011

" I really enjoyed this book. Great story with a few twists.
"

Tara | 5/9/2011

" Took me a while, but I figured it out. Tragic for Ruth, but ended up okay. Love the story of the multiple- generational family farm. Cycle of life was continually portrayed. Edwin was the most humane figure, but I could never have settled for his early decision.
"

Linda | 5/3/2011

" Library - E-Book -
Enjoyed the style and learned several things along the way. Twists along the way made it interesting.
"

Candace | 5/1/2011

" Too much sexual content for my comfort level...
"

Lori | 5/1/2011

" liked it very much. i enjoy her writing and thought it was a good story
"

Other Titles by Joyce Maynard:

About the Author

Joyce Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times cover story “An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life” in 1973, when she was a freshman at Yale. Since then, she has been a reporter and columnist for the New York Times, a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in more than fifty papers nationwide, and a regular contributor to NPR. Her writing has also been published in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek; the New York Times magazine; USA Weekly; and many more. Her novel The Usual Rules—a story about surviving loss—has been a favorite of book club audiences of all ages and was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the ten best books for young readers for 2003. Joyce also runs the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in Guatemala, founded in 2002.

About the Narrator

Jeff Woodman is an actor and narrator. He is a winner of the prestigious Audie Award and a six-time finalist. He has received seventeen Earphones Awards and was named one of the Fifty Greatest Voices of the Century by AudioFile magazine. As an actor, he originated the title role in Tennessee Williams’ The Notebook of Trigorin and won the S.F. Critics’ Circle Award for his performance in An Ideal Husband. In addition to numerous theater credits on and off Broadway, his television work includes Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Cosby.

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